An Ode to Volleyball

Riley Hellings

Your luscious leather,
perfectly sphere coat
waiting for my hand to rest upon you.
Knowing exactly
What is coming next.
You sit so innocently in my palm
as I'm about to serve you.
My fingers
eagerly brushing
against your smooth skin
like a fortune teller
rubbing her crystal ball
about to find out her near future.
My sweat glands start bubbling
like a volcano is about to burst
but you are my sponge
and sweep it away.

You don’t even blink in fear
as my monstrous hands
approach your face
like Shrek stepping on an ant.
Smiling
from sideline to sideline!
You stand strong
like the statue of liberty
on her best day,
to help support my teammates
and get through
the never ending
match.

Never screaming
in pain,
always calm
and collected
you are the back bone of my team.

In that last breath
before I send you sailing
over the net

like a shooting star
across a beautiful night sky,
I take a whiff of your soft skin
taking in a mixture
Of sweat and leather.
This brings me back
to reality,
That it is time to focus.

Whispering in my ear
Like an assistant coach.
Always helping me
Make decisions.
Float serve or top spin.
Standing serve or jump.
And what strategic spot to place you.

This is the moral to my ode:
A sport includes many things
to make it a sport.
You need a coach,
players,
and referees.
However, you couldn't
do anything if it wasn't
for the ball.
Thank you my friend
for always having my back!